


April Fools (0417)

by baegilmong



Series: Fictober 2018 [3]
Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, But not that much, Fictober 2018, M/M, Morning, jinhongseok, just guys being stupid, minor Hui, tfw when you crush on someone and think they don't like you back but they actually do, too little too late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 05:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16191326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baegilmong/pseuds/baegilmong
Summary: Hongseok is back in town (much to Jinho's surprise), but the past is still haunting them.





	April Fools (0417)

_Beep._  
  
It was long past dawn already but the sound of the message popping up in the phone's notifs was what awoke him. Not even the morning sunlight peeping through the blinds had been enough to pull him away from Morpheus' arms, so he cursed under his breath, praying it wasn't his boss who had dared to bother him on a Saturday with nonsensical business issues which could very much wait until the following week to be resolved.  
  
His eyes still adjusting to the sudden brightness, Jinho picked up the phone and froze as he saw the message on his screen.  
  
It wasn't his boss.  
But it wasn't anyone he had expected to get news from, either.  
  
 _Remember me?_  
  
His heart skipped a beat upon reading the words. Of course he remembered, how could he ever forget. If any, it was the person on the other side of the line who would have forgotten about him. It had been years since the last time they had been in touch, even longer since their last meeting (one of Hwitaek's birthdays, if he wasn't mistaken), so he wondered why on Earth he had decided to return again so out of the blue, disturbing his sleep... and his heart.  
  
 _How could I forget_ , he texted back, nervously awaiting an answer while changing his mind twenty times per second between the urge to delete the message and pretend nothing had happened and just leaving it there and hope for the best.  
  
 _Beep._  
  
Jinho jumped startledly on the bed, holding his phone close to his chest, afraid to look at the answer. What if he said it had been a mistake and had sent it to the wrong person? What if he changed his mind and disappeared again?  
  
He peeped through one of his eyes, opening the notification.  
  
 _I know this is really sudden, and I'm sorry to wake you up on a weekend morning but I happen to be in town and was wondering if we could meet, or something._  
  
Jinho stared at the screen, re-reading Hongseok's reply over and over again, making sure he had got everything right. Could it really be possible that he actually wanted to see him? Was he still asleep and it was all happening in a dream? Yang Hongseok, the one who went away, taking the first step in contacting him?   
  
It was too good to be true.   
  
But before Jinho could reply, another message popped up on the screen.   
  
 _Never mind, I should've realized it was a dumb idea._  
  
 _It's not a dumb idea_ , Jinho promptly replied, not wanting Hongseok to believe his hesitation and delay in answering meant he declined the offer. Not that he hadn't considered to show a little pride and do so, but Jinho had learned how to forgive and forget over the years –besides, the feelings he once had had for him were still lingering, no matter how hard he tried to deny it every day–.   
  
 _Could we meet up for breakfast, then?_  
  
Hongseok seemed quite eager to meet him, which filled Jinho up with a huge sense of pride. Maybe after all those years he had finally realized he reciprocated those feelings. Maybe he had come back to start anew, to begin a new life together.   
  
Or maybe it was just sheer coincidence that had brought them together a decade later.   
  
They met in the corner café where they used to spend their teenage days, when Hwitaek was also around and they called themselves the Three Musketeers. The corner café where Hongseok had introduced them to his girlfriend, who would then go on to become his fiancée, crushing any small hope Jinho had left that eventually something would happen between them. He had left town soon afterwards, having received a scholarship from a top university, and despite the gang's best efforts to keep in touch there came a day when they barely knew if the rest were alive or not.   
  
But now, having Hongseok in front of him, he could recall all the memories from those years and how he lingered onto them day after day. Every crinkle on Hongseok's eyes when he smiled, every gesture he did with his hands when he wanted to emphasize something, even the sound of his laugh. All of that remained untouched, and Jinho was finding it hard to keep calm while sitting across the table, so he resorted to sip his tea, focusing on the liquid, letting Hongseok talk.   
  
"You might wonder why I'm here so suddenly, and I'm sorry for... you know, leaving, leaving everything behind, not being able to face what I should have faced". Hongseok seemed truly concerned, as if something was bothering him.  
  
Jinho just shrugged it off. "It's okay", he replied. "So how's everything going? Is Yujin doing well?"   
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say so". He paused. "We... we got married last year", he added, shyly showing a ring on his left hand, the shimmer of the metal almost blinding Jinho.   
  
"Glad to see you're still going strong", he mumbled bitterly.   
  
"Yeah, well, if you say so..."  
  
Jinho lifted up his gaze from his drink, finally meeting Hongseok's.   
  
"Is something wrong?"   
  
Hongseok sighed.   
  
"I guess it's time for me to be honest with you... I... I just don't know where to start"   
  
"Take your time, I'm listening"   
  
"I haven't been able to get you off my mind, Jinho".  
  
Jinho almost choked on his tea upon hearing those words. Was it a joke? Could that be true, after all?  
  
"Are you messing with me right now? Did you know how I felt through all these years so now you come back to throw it all on me? Did you really have to keep me waiting in the dark for over a decade"   
  
Jinho's voice cracked, tears building up in his eyes. Hongseok just stared back, unable to react, unable to hold out his hand and reassure him.   
  
"I'm being completely honest, there wasn't a single moment I didn't think about you in all this time. Funny, huh, to think what we could have been if I had just known it sooner."  
  
"I couldn't risk it to tell you, I was so afraid and insecure and was fully convinced it was one-sided"  
  
"It wasn't"  
  
"Now I know"  
  
"I'm sorry I just... I was never brave enough"  
  
"Brave enough? You outed me in front of the whole school but you couldn't admit that you yourself had a big fat crush on that very same friend you outed. Was it that much of a deal to not be straight?"   
  
"Jinho I... I'm really sorry, I truly am. I was a jerk–"   
  
"You were a complete bastard"   
  
"And I won't deny it, what I did was really wrong but I was a stupid teenager and wasn't able to come to terms with myself or accept me or anything"  
  
"So why did you come, then? To say you're sorry? You could have saved your apologies, I managed to let it slip after a while"   
  
"To tell you my true feelings, even if it's too late. To tell you that there was nothing wrong in what we felt for each other. To tell you that I finally realized that"   
  
"Does your wife know?"   
  
Hongseok hesitated, lowering his head and shaking it, feeling defeated.   
  
"I know I should have done this a lot sooner but... I always loved you. I needed to tell you. I needed to see you and wonder if your feelings were the same, and if you managed to be happy without me"   
  
"They always were. But I guess we were never meant to be"   
  
"Yeah... I guess we weren't"


End file.
